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toe tribune thursday december 21 wis tsfitt wrtbum james thomas editorinchief established 1888 charles h nolan publisher 8arre seacock advertising manager editorial dept ed scbtotm jfan hoh display advertising dept lois wldn art dixon business office joan uarahman dotmh daacoo ehmo oonr publteimd amy thursday at 54 mala st stoutmu ool tal 6402101 toronto phono 3611680 stool eoptes 20 c subscriptions si 000 par year in canada sm00 almwimr mamtw ol canadian community nswspapars association and ontario waakly nawspapars association sscond class mau registration numbar 0896 th tribune is on ol tha inland publishing co umitad group oi suburban nanrspapars which in- cludas tha ajax whitby pickering news advertiser brampton guardian burlington post etobtcoke gazatt marfcham economist and sun newmarket aurora era oakvilla beaver oshaara this weak uississauga news oshawa this weekend acton free press milton canadian champion and the georgetown independent 6402100 3611680 editorials snowmobiles can be safe a snowmobile club has been organized in whitchurchstouffville this is good news it may lessen some of the problems that owners and nonowners have experienced in this area over the past two seasons because of their versatility and noise a black mark was registered against these machines and their operators from the day they were introduced in some instances the criticism was deserved in others it was not to shed a little favorable light on this new form of winter recreation readers are ad vised of the following facts since 1975 participation in the sport of snowmobiling has increased 25 per cent in canada and the united states yet at the same time snowmobilerelated fatalities have decreased by 37 per cent the reduction in accidents and the improved safety record are due to l better educated riders 2 more trails and 3 technical advancements in increasing the safety of the machines in the most recent consumer product hazard listing produced by the us consumer product safety commission the snowmobile is listed at no 86 the highest is cycling baseball no 4 basketball no 12 snow- skiing no 41 iceskating no 51 tennis and badminton no 61 and golf no 72 the province of ontario is presently of fering snowmobile operator safety training programs these include both classroom and field instruction subjects covered are- maintenance and machine operation proper riding positions proper clothing terrain and weather conditions environmental awareness as well as skill courtesy judgement and common sense trails are the key to increased safety in the sport without these the hazard risk is great due to hidden objects such as cable and guy wires fences unsafe ice rocks stumps and lowhanging branches join the whitchurchstouffville snowmobile club this winter and increase the chance of being around next spring a good mottobuyer beware many companies and organizations send unsolicited goods through the mail this time of year they ask you to send money to pay for the items if you didnt order them you are not obligated to pay for them you may keep them destroy them or send them back at the senders expense also be wary of fundraising schemes at this time of year unethical operators who see a quick buck to be made compete with honest fundraisers for the dollars of a generous public most pleas for money are authentic but to be sure that your donation goes to the needy keep the following points in mind l be wary of telephone solicitations 2 make sure you understand the nature of the donation request 3 ask how they ob tained your name 4 ask for the name of the person calling and the full name and address of his or her employer including the telephone number 5 when in doubt request the solicitation be made in writing 6 check out the companys reputation with the better business bureau for further information on refunds and exchanges mailorder buying fundraising schemes and consumer complaints the place to write is consumer information centre ministry of consumer and commercial relations 555 yonge street toronto m7a 2h6 tho tree that came alive at christmas aft f froot tawn iu lf mr ami mr krowt bw 308 rfffht wvui has come alive this christmas the 35 foot high beauty b adorned with 1m lights of various colon jim thomas vi c from the tribune staff to all our readers and advertisers a very merry christmas and a happy new year front to back- charles nolan jim thomas barre beacock jim holt mary jane heyworth joan marshman eileen glover ed schroeter doreen deacon art dixon and loiswideman roaming around- an eleventh hour letter to santa by jim thomas only two more shopping days til you know what i cant believe it out of fiftytwo weeks it all comes down to a friday and saturday would that i could sit back and wish gifts to folks rather than travel from store from store to store looking for things i know ill never find at this late stage i guess ill just sit down with my marylynn and write a letter to santa- so here goes dear santa daus please bring mayor eldred king a gold lame suit with matching crown a silk tie satin socks and diamondstudded shoes exmayor gordon ratclif f a pair of chore gloves a threelegged milk stool and a solid oakhandled pitchfork hydro chairman ken laushway a forty foot stepladder and a pocketful of 500 watt bulbs councillor bill mcnalley a guest pass to the steerburger disco on main street and to councillor jim doble a pair of size 10 disco dancing shoes councillor bill kamps a crate of white owl cigars councillor becky wedley a portable smoke detector fire chief walter smith a red roof light and a siren for his blue welders truck police chief bruce crawford a signed agreement from every supermarket manager in york region sanctioning a moratorium on egg sales the day before halloween night mayor gary herrema of uxbridge a pet rock councillor john paxton of uxbridge a pet rock eater councillor jim sanders of stouffville a model aeroplane kit and ten thousand garbage bags rev jim carder stouffville united church a furlined clerical collar to go with his warm handshake trustee harry bowes a portable slide rule to better calculate the towns shifting school population postmaster gary fisher an automatic envelopesealer and stamplicker summitview principal lome boadway a gift certificate from the new image unisex hairstyling studio on main street chiropractor dr jerome delaurier signed approval from the town to operate whitchurchstouffvilles first for men only massage parlor teacher ruth herbert a certificate of endorsation from dr bette stephenson ministry of education arena manager don lewis a pair of roller skates for summer use only stouffville dentist dr dc morgan a freezing device that administers a kick in the rear instead of a shot in the mouth keith acton a 197980 contract with the montreal canadians mp sinclair stevens a stocking filled with nuts from finance minister jean chretien regional councillor ron moran an illuminated sign reading future mayor of dicksons hill for my wife an automatic dishwasher an automatic clothes washer and six automatic handwashers for prince the barker encyclopaedia on canine etiquette volumes 1 2 and 3 and for me a typewriter that can spell merry christmas window on wildlife a boys christmas wish comes true by art briggsjude the shopping trip had been an exercise in frustration not only did the prices seem higher this year any items they did decide on were either the wrong color or a size too small on top of this the plaza was packed with people and little judy had a runny nose making her unusualiy irritable dragging her four year old daughter through those throngs of christmas shoppers was starting to wear down the patience of mild mannered mary sneddon and adding to the deterioration of everyones yuletide feelings was young jimmies constant tirade about wanting to go to the pet shop in fact his christmas wish for a pet had become almost an obsession so much so that he had narrowed it down to a puppy or a kitten something he could call by name and that could run around not like a canary or a hamster or a stupid goldfish hardly had the lads words died in the bustling confusion when his fathers voice curtly announced to all within hearing thats it were going home and while mary momentarily objected and little judy whimpered slightly jimmie mumbled and grumbled his disapproval of leaving they stepped through the double set of glass doors into the full force of a sleetladen north wind the earlier rain now coated every object with a sheet of ice pat and mary hustled their children across the parking lot slipping and sliding to the station wagon once underway the main road itself was not too bad the sand crews had been out early it seemed and prevented a major problem and now as pat sneddon eased the vehicle along the 5 mile route towards home his concern wavered between the icy pavement and the icecovered trees and wires hate to have to climb a pole in this weather pat mused as they watched a glistening coated cable spark against a lower strand wow said jimmie as a cluster of small twigs and icicles spat tered on the hood and windshield at that moment mary had almost begun to think her son had put away the pet idea at least temporarily but jimmie started all over again ill keep it outside in a little house well make and it can run around our backyard so then why cant i have a pet animal like freddie johnsons cat or spencers dog down the street you know you cant have an animal with fin because of your allergy said his mother so why cant you go along with whats best for you listen jimmie pat added if you dont forget that idea for a while im going to put a pet rock on your behind do you hear me yes came back the meek little answer for the next little while no one spoke then as if to ease the tension a bit mary mentioned how beautiful the landscape looked with its sparkling coat in fact the sky had lifted somewhat and now only the wind was cause for concern they were just turning the corner by a hardwood bush when a large rotted limb heavilyladen with ice crashed down on the roadway ahead narrowly missing the car pat managed to avoid a collision with the largest sections but felt his tires bump against several of the smaller pieces he pulled over and stopped the car unsnapped his seat belt and opened the door in a moment he was clearing the broken limbs off the road as he reached to pick up a short hollow stub his hand almost touched the still form of a gray squirrel still dinging stubbornly to its cavity nest what to do now carefully he picked up the broken log with its occupant and placed it in a large box in the back of the station wagon what are you going to do with it his wife asked as he got behind the wheel again by this time though jimmie was furnishing all the answers were going to put it in our yard and feed it and look after it and name it and were going to keep it arent we dad just a minute son his father interrupted im not sure if it will even be alive when we get home its had a bad fall maybe its only stunned but it could be hurt inside well have to wait and see he added later in the new subdivision whose trees had all been cleared during construction pat climbed the clothes line pole in that wild wind he fastened the log house up a safe distance from the ground with the dazed squirrel still inside the warm leaf lining and the bushy- tailed creature did recover and accepted its new surroundings and the handouts that went with them it went to marys feeder where nothing had ever come before and en tertained the family with its antics and when her mother remarked it sure knew how to fill its chops little judy picked up the word and they named it chops after that pat just smiled and crumpled up his christmas list and tossed it in the fireplace jimmie would have his nose pressed against the window on christmas morning watching old chops pick up the peanuts hed put out or scurrying across the porch with some acorns from the outside wreath hed made at school and both parents knew deep down inside that sometimes in such simple things of life was christmas really made